Sebezh

a city and administrative center of Sebezh Raion, Pskov Oblast, RSFSR. It is located on Lake Sebezh. Sebezh has a railroad station on the Moscow-Riga line, 189 km south of Pskov. The city manufactures construction materials and has lumber, food-processing, and light industries. There is an agricultural technicum in Sebezh.

Sebezh was first mentioned as a settlement of the Pskov Feudal Republic in 1414, when it was captured by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1535 it was annexed by Russia, and in 1579 it came under the rule of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1772 it became part of Russia and was established as a city; in 1802 it became a district center of Vitebsk Province. In the early 1900’s, the Moscow-Riga railroad line passed close to Sebezh. The city became part of Pskov Province in 1924, Leningrad Oblast in 1927, Zapadnaia Oblast in 1929, Kalinin Oblast in 1935, Velikie Luki Oblast in 1944, and Pskov Oblast in 1957. From July 9, 1941, through July 17, 1944, Sebezh was occupied by fascist German troops.